Student leaders at PBHA have served the Boston and Cambridge communities for more than 100 years. Today, PBHA operates more than 80 programs serving 10,000 people throughout the greater Boston area. PBHA brings the creativity and enthusiasm of students together with the guidance of professional staff and the knowledge of community members to offer inspired and effective year-round and year-to-year programming.

PBHA’s programming is rooted in communities and evolves in response to expressed local needs. Our programs work in advocacy, adult education, youth tutoring and mentoring, housing, and summer enrichment. The programs primarily serve Cambridge, and Boston’s Chinatown, Dorchester, Mission Hill, Roxbury, South Boston, and South End neighborhoods.

Find Your PBHA Program

I’m a parent. I need an afterschool, mentoring, or summer program for my child.

PBHA offers year-round programming for young people in Cambridge, Chinatown, Dorchester, Mission Hill, Roxbury, South Boston, and the South End. To find programs operating in your neighborhood, visit our program listing and filter by community. If you are unsure which program is right for you, email our Programming Chairs at pc@pbha.org.

I’m a teen. I need a mentor or a summer job.

Our mentoring programs pair young people with supportive mentors to build self-confidence and increase access to resources throughout the city. Some programs are neighborhood-based, like South Boston Big Sibling; others, like the Athena Program, bring young people from across the city together to explore issues like race, gender, and sexuality. To find a mentoring program for you, visit our program listing and select “mentoring” in the “program type” filter. If you are unsure which program is right for you, email mentoring@pbha.org.

PBHA operates two homeless shelters for adults over the age of 18. A third shelter for young adults, ages 18-24, will open this fall.

The Harvard Square Homeless Shelter is a winter emergency shelter, housing 24 men and women for two week stays from November 1 – April 15 each year. Email hshs@pbha.org for more information, or call toll-free at 1-888-285-4038 between 7:30 – 8:00 AM to enter the bed lottery.

The Harvard Square Summer Shelter is a summer transitional shelter serving 12 men and women for eight weeks each summer. Applications for enrollment are released each spring. For more information, email summerhshs@pbha.org.

I need legal support for small claims.

PBHA’s Small Claims Advisory Service supports individuals navigating Massachusetts small claims court by providing information on Massachusetts law, small claims procedure, and effective court presentations. This support is information only, and does not constitute legal advice. For help, email scas@pbha.org, or call (617) 497-5690.

I need help learning English.

PBHA offers several programs to support youth and adults learning English.

Adults may enroll in PBHA’s Chinatown ESL, which offers free English classes to recently immigrated adults in Boston’s Chinatown, or in PEN, which offers free English language instruction to recent immigrants across Boston.